Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Our preseason football coverage is brought to you by GoRout. GoRout Digital Play Sending helps teams of all levels get the most out of their practice time. By getting rid of huddles and paper scout cards, teams are maximizing both the quality and quantity of scout team reps. To make sure your players are seeing the development they need to be their best on gameday, visit www.gorout.com/quote and get started today.

Check out all of our football preview content, including Conference Previews for every league in the state, here.

2023 Recap:  The Ridge & Valley-8 Conference is made up of six members of the former Ridge & Valley-West 8-player league as well as Highland, who moves from 11-player, and Monticello, who leaves a longtime 11-player co-op with New Glarus and will field its first-ever standalone program.

2023 Ridge & Valley-West 8-Player Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)
2023 Ridge & Valley 11-Player Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)

2024 Preview:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) North Crawford
2) Highland
3) Belmont
4) Wisconsin Heights
5) De Soto
6) Wonewoc/Weston
7) Kickapoo/La Farge
8) Monticello

Players to Watch:

Cody Blicharz, RB, Wisconsin Heights: Blicharz is one of the top players in the conference, rushing for 1,141 yards with 13 touchdowns last year while catching 20 passes for 297 yards and another score. He shared Player of the Year honors in the Ridge & Valley-West last season.

Andrew Munson, QB, North Crawford: Munson was a First Team All-Conference quarterback last year, accounting for more than 1400 yards of offense and 22 touchdowns.

Gavin Optiz, QB, Belmont: Optiz led the Braves with 720 rushing yards last season, also throwing for 239 yards and three scores as a Second Team All-Conference selection.

Bryce Schultz, TE/LB, De Soto: Schultz caught 20 passes for 380 yards and seven touchdowns last year as a two-way All-Conference player.

Bennett Smith, QB, Highland: Smith is a returning First Team All-Conference quarterback in 11-player football, throwing for 1,811 yard and 18 touchdowns last season.

2024 Team Previews

1) North Crawford posted its best season since moving to 8-player football, going undefeated through the regular season with five shutouts along the way. After taking down Abundant Life/St. Ambrose 28-10 in the very first game of the year, the tables were turned in the playoffs, as North Crawford fell 50-32 for an early postseason exit. They'll be one of the most experienced teams in the state this fall, with seven starters returning on offense and six on defense. Andrew Munson drives the bus on offense amongst a talented skill group, accounting for more than 1400 yards of total offense and 22 touchdowns. Landen Blaha, Cullen Jacobus, and Carter Emler are other returning skill standouts, while Conner Durst and Gavin Tamling anchor the offensive line. The reformed Ridge & Valley-8 should be even better this year, especially with the addition of a solid Highland squad from 11-player, which will hopefully help the Trojans prepare for a more successful playoff run.

2) Highland won the conference title in what is, for now, the last season of the Ridge & Valley as an 11-player football conference. They began the year and ended the year in the same way, however, losing to River Ridge, once in a non-conference game and once in the Level 1 playoffs. They'll move to 8-Player this year, joining the Ridge & Valley-8. They should be an immediate contender in the conference, returning First Team All-Conference quarterback Bennett Smith, who threw for 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns. His top three targets from last year, John Dreischmeier, West Kraisinger, and Michael Esser, all return this season as well.

3) Belmont was one of several Ridge & Valley-West 8-player teams that just missed out on the postseason, as the Braves finished 5-3 overall last year, with all three losses by 12 points or less. Belmont loses some talented players up front, including Logan Hardyman and Bradley Riechers, but quarterback Gavin Optiz plus fellow Second Team All-Conference running back Chance Reuter do return for the Braves.

4) Wisconsin Heights dropped three straight games to begin the 2023 season, but improved later in the year, winning four of five, with the only loss during that stretch a 16-12 decision to Belmont. They’ll move to the new Ridge & Valley-8 with one of the strongest groups of skill players in the league, led by First Team All-Conference running back Cody Blicharz. Starting quarterback Quinn Payne and leading receiver Reed Adler are also back, as the trio accounted for the majority of the yards and touchdowns on offense for the Vanguards.

5) De Soto narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year, going 5-3 during the regular season, adding a 50-12 win over Athens in an extra game. Veteran head coach Ev Wick brings back five starters on both sides of the ball this year. “We’ll have an increased roster size with  dedicated group that worked hard in the weight room,” said Wick, who has a 152-64 record in more than 20 years leading the program. “We have a lot of coachable kids, with many players that have varsity experience returning.” Bryce Schultz is a standout at tight end and linebacker, earning All-Region on defense last year. Finn Wrobel returns at quarterback while Justin Obert is a three-year starter at center.

6) Wonewoc/Weston won 74-0 over Menominee Indian to open the season, but a 26-20 victory over rival Kickapoo/La Farge was the only other win on the schedule for the SilverWolves. They’ll have to find a way to replace quarterback Danny Roehling, versatile Brock Sprotte, and top receiver Corben Champlin. Trevor Westphal is a talented player up front coming back after a solid sophomore campaign.

7) Kickapoo/La Farge opened the season with a 36-16 win over Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, but the Predators could not find a past to another win, finishing 1-7. The team says goodbye to quarterback Hayden Fowell, but does return versatile offensive playmaker Abe Clements, who led the team in both rushing and receiving last year.

8) Monticello breaks off from longtime co-op partner New Glarus and will move to 8-player football this season. “As a first-ever Monticello only football program, and most of the current players have not played ever or not since youth football, we are not sure what to expect,” said head coach Tyler Smith. “However, we know we have a group of athletes that are dedicated and very excited to start this new tradition at Monticello. We will have six seniors and 11 total upperclassmen this season, but only three of those have played high school football and one of those three did not play last season.”

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.